The EMG-81 is a high-output pickup designed especially for the lead guitarist. The 81 is at its best for high volume overdrive and amps with a master volume. Whether you're playing power rock 'n' roll, or overdriving your amp, there's a razor sharp attack, and incredible sustain for brilliant soloing. If you're looking for exceptional qualities in a rock pickup, the EMG-81 is the one.

Distortion during lead passages is consistent, sustain is long and the breakup fades smoothly. The ceramic magnet in combination with wide aperture steel poles lend a quick attack but the tone stays nice and fat at the same time. Perfect if you're the only guitarist in the band, and need to switch from rhythm to lead and still keep the band moving. Another great thing about the EMG-81 is it's quiet. If you're playing at really high gain the last thing you need is noise.

On a whim I picked up a cool looking Godin Redline 1 with a single EMG 81 in the bridge. So out of character as I've been playing Fenders and Ibanez's w/single coils...Read complete review

On a whim I picked up a cool looking Godin Redline 1 with a single EMG 81 in the bridge. So out of character as I've been playing Fenders and Ibanez's w/single coils and have a LP copy with Duncan 59/JB. Never had any experience with active pickups, but was completely blown away by the clarity of tone and especially how well it cuts through the mix. Talk about turning heads! Had to do a few tweaks to my amp Eq and pedal levels to get better control, but it's really growing on me. Even sounds decent clean through my tube amps-real nice bite that cuts through for funk (tele on steroids). So far I've been able to play everything from funky rhythm to Living Colour and even had to try some Metallica! The 81 simply excells with any kind of Drive or Distortion. Be careful as you may make your cats explode!!

VS

Most Liked Negative Review

Heavy metal, nothing else

This pick-up is really really really awesome... if you are playing metal. And metal only. I put this thing in my epiphone sg for when I was in a metalcore band and...Read complete review

This pick-up is really really really awesome... if you are playing metal. And metal only. I put this thing in my epiphone sg for when I was in a metalcore band and it did exactly what I wanted it to do. It sounded perfect for metalcore, chugging, and just heavy music in general. But, when I left that band to join a new softer sounding indie band that uses a lot of clean tones, it was awful. The pickup was really bright on clean channels in a bad way. I had to play softly and be sure not to strike the strings to hard because if I did the sound would crack and sound bad. Bottom line, this pickup is really awesome if you are playing in a metal or hard rock band. But if you want to play some blues or country or softer stuff, FIND ANOTHER PICKUP!

This is the second time I've owned an EMG 81 pickup so I have a bit of perspective now and the first time I have wrote a review. I love the tone. It is quiet, searing, roars and cuts thru any mix. It is very clear and unlike many reviews, I don't find it to be sterile at all, I think it brings out the differences in the wood combinations each guitar uses. I have one in my Dean Deceiver Single Cut with a Flame Maple top, set mahogany neck, ebony fretboard and EMG 85 in the neck. With the Dean, the pickup is louder, has more gain, more snarl and more bite than the Ibanez Art 500 EMG that I had an EMG 81/60 Combo in before selling the guitar. I think the I can tell difference in the lack of a flame top and a rosewood fretboard on the Ibanez left it sounding a bit more tame and with not as much gain. But it still put out notes with a lot of clarity and was very quiet. I am undecided if I'm totally sold on active pickups as a continual habit, but I love the sound I get out of the EMG 81 in my Dean and in my Ibanez.

First time using this type of humbucker system in my guitars. I was very pleased with the tone and sound. I'm not a shredder or a metal player, mostly just Rock music but this pickup is surprisingly clear. If you want to overdrive the pickup, it can be done at the amp. Meaning that it not muddy on a clean setting and not to distorted on the dirty channels. All notes can be heard and ring out. I've read that this pickup was for thrash metal only and not bluesy types of rock and roll, well they are wrong! This pickup cuts through and spices things up, brings an added presence to the mix. By-the-way, they are so easy to install. Not more hot iron or soldering connection to fight with. PLUG and GO!!!!! My old les paul has new life and I was able to keep my Gibson 57 Plus in the neck. Works with all types of pickup combination. It seems that EMG makes pickups now for all. Check out their website, you'll be amazed. A long way from the late 80's. Still hate the Battery.

I got this with the EMG 60 pup to install on an instrument that had passive Emg HZ's. It s not difficult to install so long as you pay close attention to the diagrams.

The 81 is a great pickup to use for high gain playing. I like it for that high cut tone. If you like high gain heavy playing, the 81 is a standard choice. Heavy chunky rhythms and searing highs that really cut through. It also offers nice harmonics and more sustain.

Amps I play through are an Orange Tiny Terror and a Blackstar HT 20 head. The 81 pushes these amps great for a whole new meaning of heaviness.

Although known for high gain playing, Clean, the 81 has a very nice chimey tone with good range.

I have this pickup as a stock pickup on my Schecter Damien Elite Solo 6, and this pickup is versatile, great tone and many of my favorite artists use EMG, so why would I use anything else? EMG for Life!

I've been using EMG 81/60 pickups for a long, long time. They are extremely neutral ... meaning, they don't color the sound. I want to hear the wood of my guitars and the amps, not a coloration of such. I play primarily through ENGL E670 SE EL34 heads as well Mesa Mark V heads and these pickups just sound incredible with them. Plenty of bark and bite when you need it, yet mellow when you back off. And they are very quiet. Pair these up with an EMG Afterburner and you will never go back to using floor pedals for boost ever again. 100% guitar and amp. That is the way it should be. If you need pedals to make your guitar/amp/pickup sound good, you have the wrong setup.

This pick-up is really really really awesome... if you are playing metal. And metal only. I put this thing in my epiphone sg for when I was in a metalcore band and it did exactly what I wanted it to do. It sounded perfect for metalcore, chugging, and just heavy music in general. But, when I left that band to join a new softer sounding indie band that uses a lot of clean tones, it was awful. The pickup was really bright on clean channels in a bad way. I had to play softly and be sure not to strike the strings to hard because if I did the sound would crack and sound bad. Bottom line, this pickup is really awesome if you are playing in a metal or hard rock band. But if you want to play some blues or country or softer stuff, FIND ANOTHER PICKUP!

On a whim I picked up a cool looking Godin Redline 1 with a single EMG 81 in the bridge. So out of character as I've been playing Fenders and Ibanez's w/single coils and have a LP copy with Duncan 59/JB. Never had any experience with active pickups, but was completely blown away by the clarity of tone and especially how well it cuts through the mix. Talk about turning heads! Had to do a few tweaks to my amp Eq and pedal levels to get better control, but it's really growing on me. Even sounds decent clean through my tube amps-real nice bite that cuts through for funk (tele on steroids). So far I've been able to play everything from funky rhythm to Living Colour and even had to try some Metallica! The 81 simply excells with any kind of Drive or Distortion. Be careful as you may make your cats explode!!

Great way to upgrade a mid range or entry level guitar.Got these as a replacement set for my Jackson Warrior JS32.Solderless pickups (which is awesome). A word of caution: If your output jack is on the opposite end of the control cavity (i.e. controls are in the lower wing, output jack is in the upper wing), you'll need to contact EMG to get a longer set of battery/tone cables. They'll send you some for free but they're not standard included with the package.Anyway they work as I expected. Nice saturated tone, great sounding pinch harmonics.Great for distortion, too much output for clean playing.